


Mirrors Are Never To Be Trusted

by fangoria



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Catboy Bert McCracken, Coraline AU, M/M, Nonbinary Gerard Way, Trans Frank Iero, its not stated yet but. he is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23723623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangoria/pseuds/fangoria
Summary: Gerard and Mikey move into their now dead grandmother's house; Gerard, overwhelmed by the pressure of looking after Mikey and still mourning their grandmother, starts to ignore Mikey.Mikey assumes that that and his newfound crush on his neighbour will be the worst of his problems, until he finds the small door in the corner of his bedroom.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Mikey Way, Gerard Way & Mikey Way, Gerard Way/Ray Toro (implied), Ray Toro & Frank Iero, Ray Toro & Mikey Way
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

Mikey huffs, throwing himself onto his new bed. Gerard isn’t even there to laugh at his dramatics; he’d gone off to the store to get groceries, without bothering to ask Mikey if he wanted to come too. Granted, Mikey would’ve probably said no, but it’s the thought that counts. He rolls over onto his side, glaring out the window at the pouring rain. 

_They used to play outside during that kind of weather._

Mikey pushes his glasses onto his forehead and rubs his eyes, groaning in frustration. There’s no way he’s gonna let Gerard’s new angst phase get to him, he decides, sitting up and marching to the door. He’s gonna explore their new home by himself. He pulls his shoes on and grabs his coat from the seat he’d thrown it at, zipping it up as he steps into the hallway.

He stops, unsure of whether he wants to meet his new neighbours first or go run around in the rain. The hallway smells of mildew and old people, so he decides to go outside. He can faintly hear thunder rumbling outside.

He gets to the large, ornately decorated front door, and struggles to push it open. When he finally gets outside, he decides to check out the edges of the nearby forest, because _holy shit they live near a forest, how cool is that._

As it turns out, it’s not really that cool. Mikey tried to ignore the small part of his brain telling him that it’d be more fun if he had Gerard with him, and started stomping around in search of bugs and cool rocks to take home. 

His pockets are nearly full of smooth pebbles and a couple leaves that were cool colours and not grossly wet from all the rain by the time he considers going back in. He spins around in place, waving a large stick around, and comes face-to-face with a boy around his age.

The two both jumped back, Mikey letting out an embarrassing yelp. The other boy laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He holds his hand out to help Mikey up. 

"Hey! I was gonna say hi just before you turned around, I wasn't just stalking you," Mikey scoffs, rolling his eyes, but takes his hand anyways. 

"Sounds like something a stalker would say," he jokes, putting his hands in his pockets and taking in the appearance of the stranger - he's not wearing a coat, but he's got enough layers to avoid the cold, and is wearing a pair of fingerless gloves that Mikey has to admit are pretty cool. Actually, Mikey kind of finds everything about this new guy cool. He's got a wide, friendly smile and is the first person that's had a full conversation with Mikey since they moved, which has to count for something. Mikey coughs into his hand, 

"Uh, I'm Mikey - just moved into the basement rooms. What about you?" 

"Nice to meet you, 'Mikey just moved into the basement rooms'. I'm Frank, I live with my mom just above you" Frank’s joke was corny, but Mikey still felt himself start to smile at it. Before he knew it, he was giggling to himself. Frank started laughing along, and _fucking hell his laugh is cute._ The realisation shocks Mikey enough to cut off his laughter. Frank gives him a questioning look, and Mikey shakes his head nervously,

“Uh, did you wanna, maybe, hang out? Cause you seem cool, and it’s not like I’ve got anyone else to hang out with, and I don’t think you do too, I haven’t seen anyone el-” Frank cuts him off by grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the forest. 

“I wouldn’t come up to you if I didn’t wanna hang out, dumbass. Let’s go eat dirt or something!” Mikey eagerly follows along, tripping over himself to match Frank’s pace.

“For someone so short, you walk really fuckin’ fast, dude!” Mikey tells him once they’ve stopped at a clearing. Frank rolls his eyes at the comment, 

“I’m not that short. Plus, I walk fast cause I’m gay and also excited to eat dirt with you,” Mikey kind of hated himself for blushing at that. He knew that wasn’t supposed to be taken as _flirting_ or anything, it was just a dumb joke. He smiled, looking down at his feet,

“Same. For both of them, I mean - I’m also gay and excited to eat dirt. Never have done that before, if I’m being honest,” Frank smiles at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Rad! I get to take your dirt eating virginity!” Mikey chokes on air, stammering awkwardly as Frank gets distracted by something, which he rushes off to grab. 

He returns triumphantly holding a large, fluffy black cat in the air, 

“Mikey! Meet Bert! He’s my bastard-in-training,” Frank starts cradling Bert like a baby, which he apparently likes, judging by the volume of his purring. Mikey grins,

“Can I pet Bert?” he asks, holding a hand out. Frank smiles,

“Try it. Bert makes the rules around here, he’ll decide if you’re worthy or not,” Mikey scoffs, but holds his hand out for Bert to sniff. To his surprise, and Frank’s delight, Bert’s paws shoot out and practically pull Mikey’s hand to his head. Laughing Mikey steps a bit closer to scratch at Bert’s ears. The cat purrs loudly, pushing into the touch.

This close, it’s clear that Frank bathes in Axe body spray. Mikey kind of wants to cough, but holds back to avoid the embarrassment. He quickly glances up at Frank, to check if he’s noticed Mikey’s discomfort, and is caught off guard by the gentle smile Frank had as he looked down at Bert. His hand stills, making Bert meow loudly. Frank looks up at him, one eyebrow raised, but still smiling all gently and lovingly, and Mikey kinda wants to cry. He’s not used to the butterflies in his stomach - he’s watched an embarrassing amount of rom coms, he knows what they mean, but he’s never felt them before, not until now. He gulps nervously, stepping back. 

“Uh, sorry. I should probably get back, Gerard might be back. I didn’t tell them I’d be going out, and I don’t want them to worry,” Frank visibly deflates, and Bert meows sadly. Mikey bites his lip,

“I’ll be back tomorrow, if you want?” Mikey _really_ wants to hang out tomorrow, “You could even come to my apartment! Gerard would _love_ Bert,” Frank seems to like the idea, smiling widely at Mikey and dropping Bert to the ground,

“Sure! I’ve never seen the basement apartment, and you’re cute and fun to spend time with,”

Mikey covers his face with his hands to hide how red his face gets at the comment,

“Great! I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, then,” He spins around and starts walking in the general direction of his new home.

Frank calls out just as he’s about to leave, and Mikey turns so fast he nearly gets whiplash. His new friend smiles,

“I like your boots,” Mikey furrows his brow, looking down at the boots he’d put on.

They're covered in cute little cartoon ducks. Mikey groans and hides his face in his hands. 

He waves goodbye to Frank and runs off home to a tired and worried Gerard.


	2. Fuck Chapter Names All My Homies Hate Chapter Names

Mikey groans as he wakes up - there’s a loose spring in the bed that had been digging into Mikey’s back all throughout the night. He rubs at his back. There’s definitely gonna be a bruise there, especially if he still has to sleep in the same bed.

Gerard doesn’t pay much attention when Mikey tells him about it, for the short time he’s in the kitchen. They slide a coffee across the table to Mikey and get up to go to their bedroom, where they’ve already set up a desk for their computer. Mikey looks down at the mug and sighs, before looking back up at his sibling,

“You’re gonna come meet the neighbours with me today, right? Cause there’s this one boy, and he’s-” Gerard cuts him off, pulling him into a quick hug and giving him an apologetic look,

“Mikey, I can’t today,” they catch the disappointment on Mikey’s face, and quickly backtrack, “at least, I can’t for all of this morning - I have commissions to work on. Maybe later?” Mikey nods, looking down at his feet.

“Can I go out on my own, then?” Gerard’s already up and leaving the room, but they quickly turn back to give Mikey a smile,

“Sure thing! Just don’t stay out there for more than a couple hours, it’s cold out,”

It’s the longest conversation Mikey’s had with Gerard since they moved. 

Mikey chugs his coffee, eager to go back outside and spend more time with Frank. Still embarrassed from yesterday, he decides to put on a pair of trainers instead of his boots, mud be damned. The door slams shut behind him as he steps out, only for him to find a colourful slip of paper on the floor in front of him. He picks it up, leaning against the wall as he reads it.

Frank’s handwriting is borderline illegible, but it says that he can’t come out. He’d written out his phone number, and scribbled some little doodles of him looking sad around it. Mikey stares for a second at the little hearts that Frank had bordered the note with, before folding it up and slipping it into the back pocket of his jeans. 

He goes back inside, taking his shoes off and dropping himself onto the stained, second-hand couch in the living room. He can’t be bothered to find the remote to turn on the tv, so he grabs his phone and adds Frank as a contact. With nothing else to do, Mikey texts him then; he sends a simple _“hey, it’s Mikey,”_ before closing the messenger app and playing a game. They don’t have the wifi set up yet, so Mikey’s stuck playing Subway Surfer as he waits for a response, which takes up most of the morning, because, as it turns out, Frank _sucks_ at responding to messages.

Mikey’s half asleep by the time Frank responds, and nearly throws his phone across the room when he hears the notification sound. He opens up the message and smiles to himself. Frank’s text says he’s now home from clothes shopping with his mom, and can meet him outside in a few minutes.

In a rush, Mikey gets his shoes on and is by the door in record time. Frank meets him there after a minute, greeting him with a high-five. He goes to say something, but is drowned out by a clap of thunder and the sound of a sudden downpour of rain.

“Well shit,” Frank says, looking out the window, “Should we go back to your apartment?” He turns back to Mikey, who nods back at him.

“Sure. Gerard’s still working, so we might have to be a bit more quiet,” Frank grins,

“I’ll do my best!”

It’s only when he’s opening the door that Mikey realises how messy the apartment is. He kicks aside a pair of Gerard’s boots and gestures to the room,

“So, uh, ta-da! Here’s my home!” If Frank notices the mess, he doesn’t really care, seeing as he smiles widely and grabs Mikey’s hand.

“This is cool! It’s so much bigger than the other apartments. Where’s your room?” Mikey rolls his eyes, ignoring the blush he can feel on his face,

“Just up the hall. There’s nothing there except my bed and closet, though. We could watch a movie or something, if you want?” Frank nods, squeezing Mikey’s hand,

“Lead the way, Mikes,” he says. Mikey stares down at their linked hands for a moment, before squeezing Frank’s hand back and pulling him over to the living room. He rifles through his and Gerard’s collection of dvds, eventually deciding on Dawn Of The Dead. Frank seems eager to watch it, so he starts the movie and settles on the couch next to him.

As the movie plays, Mikey tries to ignore how much he wishes Gerard was here: they probably would’ve teased Mikey about his very obvious crush, in between cheering over kills in the movie. At least Frank is fun to watch movies with, and after a while he cuddles into Mikey’s side, which works as the perfect distraction for Mikey.

The credits start to roll, and Frank sits up, still holding onto Mikey’s arm,

“You haven’t met the neighbours yet, have you?” Mikey shakes his head, “Dude, you’ve gotta meet Ray. He lives in the attic, and he’s like, a super cool guitarist. I wish I could play as well as he does,”

“You play guitar? We should play together, once I’ve got my guitar out.” Half of Mikey and Gerard’s stuff is still packed away in boxes. Frank smiles wide, pressing into Mikey’s side,

“That sounds great!” Mikey’s blushing again. He smiles, looking down and readjusting his glasses,

“So, uh anyway- should we meet Ray now?” he asks. Frank nods, pulling Mikey up and dragging him out the door. They sprint up the stairs together, stopping at the top to catch their breath. Frank rests his head on Mikey’s shoulder as he rests.

There’s music faintly playing from behind the door in front of them; Mikey can just about hear someone humming along, and the clutter of pots and pans. Frank steps out and knocks on the door. The music cuts out, and a tall man, around Gerard’s age, opens the door, smiling down at Frank. 

“Oh, shit, hey Frank!” he looks over to Mikey, “and you’re the new tenant, right? Micheal or something?” Mikey nods, moving to stand next to Frank. The man - Ray, presumably - holds his hand out for a fistbump.

"Mikey,"

“Nice to meet you, dude. I met your sibling when you were first coming in - they told me a bit about you,” Mikey smiles to himself, happy to know that Gerard does apparently still think about him, even if they aren’t spending as much time together. Ray pushes the door wider, stepping back to let the two in.

“I was just making myself lunch - you two want any?” He gestured to the stove, where a pot filled with pasta was boiling. Frank opened his mouth to speak, and Ray cut him off, “Yes, Frank, it’s vegetarian.”

“Then yes, please!” Frank grinned and threw himself onto the couch. Ray shook his head at Frank, and turned to Mikey.

“How about you? I’ve got a shit-ton spare, so I could even give you a bowl to bring down to your sibling,” he offered. Mikey smiled, sitting down next to Frank.

“Thanks, Ray. That sounds great,” Ray smiled, shaking his head,

“No problem, dude. You meeting all the neighbours, or did Frank drag you up here so he could brag about the new riff he learnt? I had Miss Fear and Lady Regret up here listening to Frank play. It was pretty awkward - they say they don’t like my energies or whatever. Apparently I’m _'too sweet'_ for them,”

“Lady Regret is diabetic,” Frank chimes in. Ray snorts, and ruffles Frank’s faux hawk. Mikey looks at Frank with interest,

“I was just gonna meet the neighbours, but I wanna hear Frank play now,” Ray rolls his eyes, and grabs a guitar from the side, throwing it over to Frank, who smiles and sits upright to play properly. He plays enthusiastically, nodding his head in time. Mikey smiles, bouncing in his seat slightly as Frank plays. 

“Dude, you’re great!” he exclaims, once Frank finishes the riff. Frank ducks his head, his face tinged pink. Ray sits on his counter as he watches the two, smiling knowingly. The look on Ray’s face lets Mikey know that his feelings are obvious, given the way he’s looking between the two boys. Mikey cringes; apparently, knowing way too much about crushes is universal for older kids. 

A timer dings in the kitchen, and Ray rushes off to check on it. He comes back a second later with two bowls of pasta, which he puts on the table in front of Mikey and Frank. 

“I’ll grab a container for Gerard’s food too, Mikey,” he tells him, before going back into the kitchen. Frank grabs a bowl and eats at a speed that makes Mikey kind of afraid. He raises his eyebrows at Frank and starts eating his own food.  
They finish fairly quickly, and both thank Ray for the food. Mikey takes the container for Gerard, deciding that he should definitely introduce them to Ray. Maybe if Gerard finally got a date they’d go back to being Mikey’s friendly older sibling.

The two maks their way back to Mikey’s apartment, and Frank waits in the living room as Mikey goes into Gerard’s bedroom to give them the pasta. Gerard briefly glances up from their computer,

“Oh, shit, did you make lunch on your own?” Mikey rolls his eyes.

“Ray, from the attic place, made it. He’s really nice, you should get to know him!” Gerard smiles at Mikey, putting their pen down for a moment.

“Yeah, he seemed sweet. I think he gave me his number, actually,” they glance at the bundles of paper scattered across their desk, “it’s somewhere in there,”

Mikey smiles, leaning over to kiss Gerard’s forehead before going back to Frank in the living room. 

“We still have some neighbours to meet, right?” he asks. Frank nods,

“Yeah, Miss Fear and Lady Regret! They used to be mediums or something, on tv. They’re really weird, you’ll love them!” he explains, grabbing Mikey and pulling him out into the hall. 

He bumps into a tall, stern-looking woman, who glares down at him and puts her hands on her hips.

“Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you,” she grabs Frank, turning to Mikey, “I’m sorry my, uh, child has been pestering you.” Mikey furrows his brow,

“No, me and Frank were having fun together! Are you his mom?” The lady scoffs slightly at the mention of Frank’s name, 

“Yes. And if it’s alright, we’ve got to be getting home,” Mikey frowns, and Frank pulls away from his mother.

“I’ll be back in a second, alright? Can I at least say goodbye to Mikey?” His mother rolls his eyes, but walks back to their apartment. Frank turns to Mikey, smiling sheepishly.

“Uh, sorry about her. Can we meet up again tomorrow? We didn’t even get to go outside, and it should be better weather tomorrow,” Mikey smiles.

“Hell yeah, dude. See you tomorrow,” He expects Frank to just turn around and leave, but then Frank smiles at him, in the same way that he had yesterday, and leans over to Mikey, kissing his cheek. Mikey stiffens, and Frank steps back, blushing.

“Yeah, uh, see you tomorrow, Mikes,” he says as he turns around, jogging over to his apartment. Mikey watches him leave, too dumbfounded to really do anything more than smile and touch the spot that Frank had just kissed.


	3. Chapter 3

The distant sound of an apartment door, presumably Franks, slamming shut drags Mikey back to the real world. He blinks, his hand still on his cheek, before he abruptly shoves his hands in his pockets and starts marching towards Miss Fear and Lady Regret’s apartment. 

He knocks on the door, swaying in place as he waits for a response. The door swings open, revealing a woman only slightly taller than Mikey. She smiles at him,

“Can I help you? Wait, no, don’t tell me, you’re here for a reading, right?” Mikey shakes his head, but she ignores it, grabbing him and pulling him into the apartment.

“Regret, we have a customer!” She calls, bouncing across the room. She shoves Mikey down onto the plush couch. Mikey grimaces at the smell that comes off the cushions, scrunching his nose slightly. A somewhat taller woman comes into the room, huffing as she re-adjusts her glasses.

“Alright, alright, darling, I’m boiling the kettle right now,” she turns her attention to Mikey, “Chamomile or peppermint?” Mikey blinks. 

“Uh, what?” the lady rolls her eyes affectionately,

“Do you want chamomile or peppermint tea? For your reading,” she elaborates. Mikey smiles awkwardly, shifting in his seat.

“I, uh didn’t actually come here for a reading, sorry. I’m just trying to meet my new neighbours,” The second lady, who Mikey realises is probably Lady Regret, shoots a dirty look to her roommate, though her expression softens when she turns back to Mikey.

“Well, it would be a nice way for us to get to know each other, wouldn’t it? And, aren’t you curious about your future? I know I was always thinking about my future at your age - what kind of life I’d live, the chances of different relationships,” she trails on, but Mikey loses track of her after that. Unwittingly, Mikey touches his cheek, smiling gently. He looks up at the two fortune tellers,

“Sure, it sounds fun,” he decides. Lady Regret claps her hands excitedly.  
“Fantastic! What kind of tea, then?” Mikey shrugs, unsure, and the two women start bickering over the types of tea leaves themselves. Between arguing, Miss Fear turns to Mikey, telling him he can have a sweet if he likes. He looks at the hard candies on the table, and immediately decides not to - they’re stuck together in a giant slab of sherbert lemon; he instead decides to look around the room, his eyes immediately landing on a presentation, of sorts, depicting at least 10 stuffed dogs. Mikey gulps, looking away nervously, when a small dog licks his hand. 

At the sound of their guest leaping into the air and screaming, the two women turn around. Miss Fear whistles the dog over and lifts it up, cuddling it as she makes her way over to Mikey. 

“Did Hugh scare you? I’m sorry, he’s a bit more excitable than his siblings,” she nods over to the presentation, “His parents are both up there, it’s a shame they couldn’t have raised him.” Mikey stares at her, wide-eyed. Lady Regret returns with the tea - chamomile - and notices Mikey’s shock. She sets the tea down in front of him and sits beside him,

“They all used to be ours. We just couldn’t bear to part with them, and so we kept them here. It’s a comfort for us,” she explains. Mikey can’t exactly see what’s comforting about it, but nods politely. Him and Gerard have their fair share of weird comforts, he’s not going to judge other peoples. She pushes the tea a bit closer to him, “Drink up, so we can read the leaves,” 

Mikey grabs the cup, tentatively taking a sip. The taste is fine, but it’s scalding, so Mikey tries to take his time drinking it, though it seems to frustrate Miss Fear. He sets the cup down before he’s even finished his last gulp, pushing it across the table to show her. 

She lifts the cup up, inspecting it closely, before dropping it back onto the table dramatically, gasping. Rolling her eyes, Lady Regret grabs the cup from her, looking down at it. Her face falls, and she mutters a swear word under her breath.

“Well, Mikey, I’m awfully sorry to say that Miss Fear may actually be right for once. This is a bad reading,” Mikey shrinks in on himself slightly,

“Bad how? Like, is it just ‘you’re gonna fail your next test’ or is it ‘mortal peril’ levels?” Lady Regret doesn’t respond, putting the cup down and petting her dog - Hugh is still curled up next to Miss Fear, so Mikey has no idea what this dog is called, but it seems more mellow than Hugh. 

Mikey abruptly stands up, freaked out. “I-I’ve gotta get home, sorry,” he mumbles, turning to leave. Miss Fear stops him with a hand on his shoulder,

“Please be careful, won’t you, Mikey?” For the first time, her voice is soft and gentle. Mikey gulps, nodding,  
“Yeah, of course. I really do need to get home, though,” Outside the window, Mikey can see the sun setting. She lets go of him, 

“Okay. You get back to your sibling, and stay safe,” Mikey smiles at her, says goodbye to the both of them, and steps out the door. Once he’s stood in the hallway, it occurs to Mikey that he never mentioned Gerard to either of them, and Gerard had never mentioned them. He takes a deep breath and starts going down the stairs to his home. 

Bert is outside the door when Mikey gets there, ripping at a toy. Mikey stops in front of him, squinting down at the toy Bert’s scratching; it’s a doll, one that looks suspiciously similar to Mikey, down to the duck boots. He crouches down, scratching behind Bert’s ear to distract him from the toy, which he swipes off the cat and pockets for himself. 

“Wanna come round mine tonight, Bert? Or do you have somewhere to be?” Bert looks up at him, blinking slowly, and meows once. Mikey laughs,

“Is that a yes, lil dude?” he pushes the door open, “Come on in!” Bert trots into the apartment, purring. Gerard is on the couch, flicking through the channels. They turn to face Mikey,

“There’s a bowl of soup on the kitchen table for you, Mikes. Might wanna shove it in the microwave for a minute.” Mikey nods, smiling, and beelines to the kitchen. Bert walks over to Gerard, meowing loudly until Mikey hears Gerard talking to the cat. He returns to the living room to find Gerard cradling Bert and cuddling him close, chatting to the cat about his work. Mikey bites his lip to stop himself from laughing as he sits down on the couch next to his sibling. 

Gerard looks up as the cushion dips from Mikey’s weight. They give their brother a small smile, “Hey, Mikes. Sorry I didn’t go with you today, I’m still working. In fact, I should probably get back to that now, I can’t waste much time,”

Mikey isn’t really sure if spending the evening with your little brother really counts as a waste of time, but he lets it slide. He’ll be able to hang out with Gerard soon enough, Gerard’s just overwhelmed with work because of the move. He nods, looking down at his soup, as Bert headbuts his other hand. Gerard ruffles Mikey’s hair as they get up.

“G’night, Mikey,” 

“Night, Gee,” 

Mikey goes to bed immediately after finishing his dinner. He curls up in his bed with Bert next to him, snuffling into his pillow. Only shortly after, he wakes up, rubbing his eyes blearily. Faintly, he can hear the same riff Ray was playing yesterday, and, for a second, he wonders how Ray could play so loudly, before realising it’s not coming from above him. He sits up, feeling around on his bedside table for his glasses.  
The sound is coming from the wall opposite Mikey’s bed. Squinting in the darkness, Mikey can see a small door. He gets out of bed, stumbling over to the door and crouching in front of the door. 

Gingerly, he tries the handle, and finds it locked. Swearing, Mikey stands up and runs to the kitchen. He pulls open the drawer under the cutlery drawer, where the keys are kept - one of them stands out from the others, a rusted and highly detailed key that looks like it would fit the door in Mikey’s room. He grabs it, and runs back into his room. The key fits into the door easily. Without Mikey even pulling it, the door swings open, as if pushed from the other side.

Mikey’s jaw drops.

Behind the door is a sprawling tunnel, glowing in warm purples and pinks. Without thinking, Mikey crawls through the doorway, still in awe. The tunnel is shorter than it looks, as Mikey finds himself in front of another door soon enough. The music is louder now.

Mikey pushes the door open and steps through, finding himself back in a room resembling his own bedroom. He looks around the room, muttering “what the fuck,” under his breath repeatedly. The decorations around him are more similar to the ones he used to have in his own room, as if he’d already unpacked everything. The music has stopped now, but Mikey can hear Misfits playing from the next room over, and Gerard singing along to it. Mikey beams, rushing out to see his sibling finally singing and playing again.


	4. Chapter 4

Mikey barrels into the room, ready to hug his sibling, startling Gerard. They turn on their heels, smiling down at Mikey.

Mikey’s mouth goes dry.

“Gerard, your - your eyes! What the fuck?” he asks, stepping back towards the door. Gerard tilts their head, still smiling vacantly. It’s hard to tell, but Mikey feels like Gerard’s staring at him. He moves back further until he feels the doorknob pressing against his spine. His sibling laughs, sounding hollow, and crouches down to be eye-to-button with Mikey.

“Wow, rude, Mikey! I happen to like them,” they joke, ruffling Mikey’s hair. Their hands are cold, like a block of ice pressed against Mikey’s scalp, “And for the record, I’m Other-Gerard, dummy!”

They take their hand away and stand up; their smile hasn’t left their face once. Mikey’s not sure if it’s because of the whole button thing, but their smile looks stiff and ingenuine, like a doll’s. They turn back to the kitchen counter, and start pouring popcorn into a bowl. 

“Could you go get your boyfriend, Mikes? The popcorn just finished, and I know you’re both gonna want it warm,” Mikey relaxes slightly, looking confused at the back of Gerard’s head.

“Boyfriend? Gerard, I don’t have a bo-” Gerard cuts him off, laughing and carrying the bowl into the living room.

“I’m talking about Frank! I know you both like each other, don’t worry about it, Mikey.” Just as Mikey starts trying to respond, the doorbell rings. Gerard raises an eyebrow and nods their head towards the door, signaling for Mikey to answer it. 

Mikey shakes his head and opens the door. Before he can fully register who’s in front of him, Frank’s kissing him.

“Hey Mikey! Sorry I’m late,” Frank says, leaning back and wrapping his arms around Mikey’s waist. Mikey stutters for a moment, before Gerard comes over, laughing. They put a hand on Mikey’s shoulder.

“You two can kiss later, after the movie,” they joke, tugging Mikey towards the living room. Frank lets go of Mikey, instead grabbing his hand and walking to the living room with him. Giddy, Mikey decides that the buttons aren’t all that bad on Frank.

Mikey sits down on the couch, and Frank immediately cuddles into him. Out of the corner of his eye, Mikey sees Gerard grin and scoff slightly, before sitting next to him. Despite the surrealness of the situation, Mikey smiles and hugs Frank, relaxing as the film starts.

About halfway through “Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers”, Mikey starts falling asleep on Frank. Gerard snorts and jabs him in the ribs gently.

“You’ll hurt your neck if you sleep on the couch. Go to bed, both of you,” they say softly. Mikey nods dozily, standing up. Frank trails behind.

Mikey falls asleep almost as soon as he hits the pillow, tangled with Frank, who’s already softly snoring.

He tries to ignore his disappointment when he wakes up alone the next morning. Sighing, he slides out of bed and glances briefly at the tiny doorway he dreamed he’d gone through the previous night.

Mikey stops.

The key is still in the lock. Mikey rushes over, pulling the door open, only to be greeted by a brick wall. His smile drops, and he stands up, pushing the door closed again. 

From his bedside table, Mikey’s phone buzzes with a text. Mikey grabs it and opens the notification. His stomach sinks as he reads the message from Frank, explaining that he can’t come out today.

Sulking, Mikey leaves his room and walks to the kitchen. As he’s pouring his cereal, Gerard joins him in the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Mikey looks up, and clears his throat.

“Hey, Gerard, there’s this boy I like-” Gerard cuts him off, giving him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, Mikes, I promise I’ll listen later, but I’m in a hurry right now,” they explain, kissing Mikey’s forehead quickly, “I really do wanna hear about this boy, I swear!”

Mikey nods, turning back to his cereal and scowling at the bowl. He eats his breakfast quickly, before going out and hovering in the hallway awkwardly. He jumps as he hears someone on the floor above him, and quickly goes up to see Ray in the hallway. 

“Oh shit, hi Ray!” Mikey greets, jogging over to him. Ray smiles at him, putting his guitar case down to wave at him. 

“Hey kid! What’s up? How’s your sibling doing?” Mikey shrugs, kicking the floor.

“I don’t have anything to do, and Gerard’s still working,” Ray frowns, leaning against the doorframe.

“Sucks, man. I would hang out with you or something, but, uh, I’m actually meant to be out working today, sorry,” he explains, “And I won’t be back ‘til tomorrow afternoon,” Mikey frowns, and Ray sighs and crouches down to Mikey’s level.

“I’m sorry, but Frank’s still here, isn’t he? And you’ve got things you could do alone,” Mikey nods, looking away sheepishly. 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Have fun, Ray!” he says, genuinely meaning it. 

-

Mikey doesn't know what to do, so he leans against the wall and lists off his options: Frank's mom has taken him, Gerard is working (like always), and Rays going out of town. He doesn't wanna go back to Miss Fear and Lady Regret, not that they were too bad just, a bit weird and old. 

The door to the other world wouldn’t open so he guessed the only thing to do, besides spending the entire day playing mobile games or unpacking the boxes that were left, was to go outside, even if it wouldn't be as fun going with Frank; he’d go out alone. 

As he was exploring the edge of the forest he found a well. It had a heavy lock but Mikey got it off, and, to see how deep it was, he took one of the rocks he had collected in his pockets, threw it in, and tried to shine with the flashlight on his phone, but the well was so deep that it had gone too deep before Mikey could see it reach the bottom. 

Gerard had once told him that if you fell in some wells - the really deep ones - you’d see the sky full of stars in the middle of the day. Mikey thought to himself that this is probably one of those wells Gerard had been talking about. 

When he came home there was a box of lukewarm pizza next to a note that said ‘I have to go run an errand in the city and won’t be home until late, so i bought some pizza for u to have as dinner - g’. 

Mikey was tired: it wasn't that Gerard hadn’t been working hard before they moved, it was just all they did now. Before they had at least watched zombie movies with Mikey if he asked, and they almost always ate dinner together. Now he had barely seen his sibling and they never really had any conversation longer than Gerard turning down Mikey's request to eat lunch together, or watch a movie, or anything.

Since Frank still hasn't answered any text Mikey sent him, he's stuck falling asleep on the couch watching animal planet. 

That’s when he hears the noise, it's Rays playing. He’s a bit confused - didn’t Ray say he’d be out of town until tomorrow?

Before he realizes exactly where the noise is coming from. It's his room, where the door is. 

Mikey sneaks up, not sure if Gerard’s back yet, and not wanting to wake them up. 

As he enters his room he sees that the little door in the corner of his room is slightly open. He decides to crawl in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hi =3


End file.
